News - Middle East: Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit says depriving the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip of basic life-saving aid is tantamount to a "death sentence and collective punishment."

Aboul Gheit made the remarks in a meeting with Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag at the Arab League’s headquarters in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

Aboul Gheit attributed the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza, which has been under Israel’s incessant bombardment over the past five months, to "the green light that some major powers gave to Israel to practice aggression in such a hideous and inhuman manner.”

The Arab League chief said the international community shares responsibility for the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, stressing that the top priority is to reach an immediate ceasefire, stop the bloodshed and prevent a possible famine in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Kaag, for her part, gave a detailed overview of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and discussed with Aboul Gheit possible ways for delivering aid to the territory.

Media reports announced on Sunday that representatives from the United States and Qatar had arrived in Cairo for mediation in the indirect talks between the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and Israel.

The Egyptian media cited an unnamed Hamas official as saying that if the Israeli regime agrees to meet the Palestinian resistance movement’s demands, including the occupying entity’s military withdrawal from Gaza and stepped-up humanitarian aid, the measure will “pave the way for an agreement within the next 24-48 hours.”

Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the its intensified violence against the Palestinians.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 30,534 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 71,920 others.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million people living there.

Source: Press TV